Safety razor



Oct. 20, 1942.

N. TESTI SAFETY RAZOR Filed April 19,. 1941 INVENTOR.

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Patented Oct. 20, 1942 `snr'lrrr RAZOR Nicholas Testi, Boston, Mass., assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application April 19, 1941, Serial No. 389,272

13 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razors of the type in which the cap and guard members are permanently connected so that the user does not have to contend with loose parts in removing or replacing the blade. More particularly it consists in a safety razor having a longitudinally movable blade carriage in the cap assembly upon which the blade may be placed and then moved with the carriage in being presented in shaving position without danger of dulling the blade or cutting the fingers of the user. In this aspect the invention consists in an improvement upon safety razors of the type disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,847,556 dated March 1, 1932.

In presenting a blade to that razor the blade rests loosely upon its carriage and if the user tips or moves the razor before actually clamping the blade therein the blade may become misplaced and fail to register properly with the bladeshap ing faces of the razor. This objectionable possibility is avoided in accordance with my invention by shaping the blade-clamping members and the carriage so thatthe blade is preliminarily flexedv and thus frictionally held against displacement when presented and prior to clamping engagement. To this end an important feature of my invention consists in a carriage having bladesupporting flanges constructed and arranged to deflect the blade against a face of one of the clamping members, herein shown as the cap.

Another feature of my invention consists in a novel blade carriage retained vertically in position and limited in its longitudinal movement by a single element, such for example as a headed stud. It includes as another feature a novel cap assembly in which the cap itself is connected at both ends to a base plate by end plates which are internally apertured to permit the passage of the carriage and slotted to permit the blade to move with clearance upon the carriage into shaving position beneath the cap.

These and other features of the invention, which like them are not limited to the safety razor shown in the patent above identified, will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a view of the safety razor head in longitudinal section and on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding end view showing the blade in clamped position;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding end view partly in section showing the razor in open condition;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the razor with the cap partially broken away, showing the carriage and a blade in outward position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View in perspective of a portion of the razor head on a still larger scale.

The safety razor selected in illustrating the invention includes in its organization a hollow handle having a barrel I0 and a ferrule I I which is rigidly connected to the bottom plate I2 of the head. The plate I2 is of thin sheet metal stiffened by being bent at its edges into longitudinally upturned flanges, as best shown in Fig. 5, and having at each end laterally or transversely outturned ears in which are journaled freely rotatable roller guards I3 and I4. This may be termed the guard assembly and its parts are all stationary except for the rolls.

The cap assembly includes a base plate I6 which is shaped to nt between the anges of the bottom plate I2 and is formed integral with or rigidly secured to a downwardly extending tubular hub Il having a sliding rit within the ferrule II of the handle and thus guiding the cap assembly for rectilinear movement with reference to the bottom plate I2 of the razor head. The base plate I6 is relieved at its side edges so that it engages the anges of the bottom plate only near their ends. Within the hub Il is received the upper end of a stem I9 forked at its upper end to receive a long rectangular shank 20 which extends upwardly through the base plate and terminates in the flat overhanging head 2I. The shank 20 and the stem I9 are united by a crosspin I8 as shown in Figs 1 and 3 and this pin constitutes a positive connection by which the plate I6 with the whole cap assembly is lifted when the stem I9 is lifted and lowered when the stem is pulled down.

The base plate I6 is provided at both ends with transverse end plates 22 which are cut away internally and provided with transverse slots 23 to permit endwise movement of the carriage and blade as will presently appear. At its upper edge each of the end plates 22 is turned inwardly in a tongue 24 and secured in a slot provided for that purpose in each end of the cap 25 which, as herein shown, is thus rigidly connected to the base plate I6. The cap is provided with an inner concave face for imparting transverse curvature to the blade when the latter is clamped by the cap over the parallel marginal flanges of the bottom plate I2 of the head.

Within the flanged plate I6 is mounted for limited longitudinal movement the blade carriage 30. This is longitudinally slotted as shown in Fig. 4 to receive the oblong shank 20, being accurately guided thereby in its longitudinal movement in a path safe-guarding the edges of the blade. The carriage 30 is provided with parallel side anges 3l for supporting the blade as presented to the carriage and these flanges are upwardly inclined at their left-hand or inner ends as best shown in Fig. 1. At its outer end the carriage is provided with -an upstanding central rib 32 of such width as to t the central locating slot of the blade 21. The'rib 32 is higher than the flanges 3I of the blade carriage and is provided in its outer end with a transverse pin 33 of such shape as to receive one of the transverse slots of the blade 21. The blade 21 herein shown is a thin flexible double-edged blade of wellknown commercial type provided with a central longitudinal locating slot traversed by short slots and including widened areas of any desired design. The illustrated blade is merely typical of the type of blade for which the illustrated razor is designed and any modication of the carriage for the blade to accompany each other would be within the scope of my invention.

In the accompanying drawing the lower end of the razor handle is not shown but it will be understood that this includes mechanism for raising and lowering the stem I9 in the razor handle and for locking the stem in clamping position.

Fig. 3 illustrates the razor with its cap elevated in blade-receiving position in which the carriage 39 is free to be moved in or out of the razor head. In Fig. 4 thecarriage 30 is shown as occupying its outer or blade-receiving position, being limited in this outer movement by engagement of the shank 23 with the inner end of the slot in the carriage 35. In this position the blade 21 may be placed Without obstruction on the outer end of the carriage, the transverse pin passing freely through one of the transverse slots in the blade so that the blade rests upon the flanges 3I of the carriage beneath the pin 33. The user now pushes the blade 21 toward the left without moving the carriage. In this movement the blade rides at rst upon the flanges 3| of its carriage, passing freely beneath the transverse pin 33 until its has moved more than half way into the razor. Then the blade begins to ride up upon the inclined inner ends of the ribs 3I of the base plate. When this occurs the inner end of the blade is lifted into frictional engagement with the under face of the cap 25 and the carriage is frictionally picked up and moved inwardly in the continued movement of the blade. Inward movement of the blade on the carriage 3i! is arrested when the rib 32 encounters the end of the blade slot, and inward movement of the carriage is arrested when the outer end of the slot in the carriage encounters the shank 26. Thus the blade 21 is located longitudinally in shaving position and the user has only to draw down the stem I9 and the cap assembly to flex the blade over the flanges of the bottom plate I2' and clamp it in position ready for shaving as shown in Fig. 2.

The under face of theV cap 25 and the edges of the longitudinal flanges of the bottom plate I2 constitute cooperating blade-shaping faces by which the blade is transversely flexed when the cap 25 is drawn downwardly. When this occurs the outer portions of the cap engage the blade outside the flanges of the bottom plate I2 bowing the blade upwardly in the middle, as suggested in Fig. 2, and temporarily disengaging the blade from both the rib 32 and the cross-pin 33 of the carriage. The flanges 3l of the carriagek are at their outer end substantially shallower than the flanges of the bottom plate I2 and at their rear end are substantially the same height as these flanges of the guard member. Accordingly, the leading end of the blade is preliminarily flexed by contact with the concave face of the cap 25 when the blade is moved into registration with its carriage 30, that is to say, when it is moved to the left as shown in Fig. 4 until the right-hand end of the rib 32 encounters the end of the slot in the blade. As herein shown the rib 32 is about one third the length of the blade slot and the movement of the blade upon its carriage is about one half the length of the blade. This preliminary flexing of the blade may occur before or after the movement of the carriage it- Y self begins, but in any case the blade is frictionally retained within the razor head after the blade has been inserted about one half its length and it is prevented from being displaced prior to the actual blade-clamping operation. The path of movement of the carriage is about half the length of the blade. The blade is, therefore, inserted in a movement of one half its length while the carriage remains at rest and one half its length simultaneously with the carriage. i

Having thus disclosed my invention and a preferred embodiment thereof for purposes of illustration but not in any limiting sense I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A safety razor comprising blade-clamping members with co-operating blade-shaping faces, means for moving said members to flex and clamp a blade between them, and a blade carriage movable longitudinal-ly into and out of position between said members and having inclined surfaces to support a blade in inclined relation to said blade-shaping faces so that the blade is preliminarily flexed when the carriage is moved inwardly with it.

2. A safety razor having relatively movable blade-clamping members, and a blade carriage movable longitudinally to present a blade between them, the Said members and carriage having; co-operating blade-carrying faces shaped prelirninarily to flex and frictionally hold a blade when presented prior to the clamping movement of said members. i

3. A safety razor comprising relatively movable blade-clamping members having longitudinally parallel faces, means for moving said members toward each other to engage a blade between them, and a longitudinally movable blade carriage having blade-supporting faces inclined with respect to the faces of said blade-clamping members.

4. A safety razor comprising relatively movable blade-clamping members with concave and upstanding :blade-,flexing contours respectively, and a blade carriage movable between the clamping members and having .spaced blade-supporting ribs which increase in height toward one end of the carriage.

5. A safety razor having a guard assembly with parallel blade-flexing flanges, a cap assembly containing a longitudinally movable blade carriage with blade-supporting flanges of less height than those of the guard and which are arranged to be received between them when the carriage is moved to present a blade in shaving position, and means for moving the blade carriage downwardly with respect to the f guard assembly, whereby the blade may be transferred from support by the lower anges ofthe carriage to support by the higher iangesof the guard.

6. A safety razor including a guard assembly, and a cap assembly which comprises a base plate, a cap, end plates positively uniting the base plate and cap at both ends and a longitudinally movable carriage, the end plates being internally apertured to receive with clearance the said carriage and a blade presented on said carriage.

7. In a safety razor, a cap assembly including a base plate merging at both ends into transverse end plates having inturned tongues at their upper edges, a cap recessed at both ends to receive said tongues and being rigidly supported thereby above the base plate, and an elongated carriage slidable in a pre-determined path on the base plate, one of the end plates being apertured to guide the carriage in its movement and to provide clearance for a blade presented thereon.

8. In a safety razor, a cap assembly including a base plate, an operating stem having a head above the base plate, and a carriage movable in a pre-determined path upon the base plate and retained thereon by said head and having parallel side flanges for supporting a blade in position to pass freely above said head.

9. A safety razor having a guard assembly with an operating stem therein terminating in a squared shank and an overlying head, a cap assembly connected to said stem and having a base plate, a cap, and an intermediate carriage slotted to receive said squared shank and guided and limited in its movement thereby and being held down in contact with the base plate by the said overlying head.

10. A safety razor for slotted blades, comprising blade-clamping members relatively movable toward and from each other, and a carriage longitudinally movable to present a slotted blade between them, the carriage being limited to movement approximately one half the blade length and having a short central blade-locating rib so located as to be fully exposed when the carriage is moved outwardly only half its length and permitting longitudinal movement of the blade on the carriagefor approximately one half the blade length, said carriage having also marginal upstanding anges parallel to and of less height than its said central rib.

11. A safety razor for slotted blades, comprising a guard member having parallel spaced bladesupporting flanges of substantial height, a cap unit connected to said member and movable up and down between the flanges thereof, and a blade carriage movable longitudinally in the cap unit and having parallel blade-supporting flanges of less height than those of the guard, whereby a blade, presented on the carriage to the razor, may be transferred to the flanges of the guard member by movement of the cap unit downwardly between the guard flanges.

12. A safety razor for long slotted blades, having a guard member with an upwardly opened channel therein dened by upwardly projecting side flanges, a cap unit having a blade carriage including also spaced parallel upturned flanges inclined downwardly toward the entering end of the safety razor, means for guiding the blade carriage for longitudinal movement in the cap unit with its flanges disposed in parallel relation to and between the flanges of the guard member, whereby the entering end of the blade may be supported at a higher level than the re- 

